Category: leadership
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Are we co-creating yet?
So what did you read this year? I read some amazing books on topics such as leadership, appreciative inquiry, facilitation, coaching, language and communication. As an ESL teacher and leadership and coaching student, the ideas presented in these books fed me all kinds of stimulating thought matter. Thought of the year: co-creation However, if I […]
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Clarity in confinement?
It’s important to say things as they are. Love is the opposite of avoidance. And so, it is important to be able to say things as they are, beginning with our fears. (Boris Sirbey) I read that piece of wisdom this morning in a LinkedIn article entitled Le hamster épris de ciel bleu (The Hamster […]
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An ESL Teacher in Quarantine
I didn’t see it coming. But then again, did anyone? The topic of the Covid19 came up in class. Or rather, the topic of how the company would react, preparing an emergency plan of action if an employee was found to be infected. We all thought it was perhaps exaggerated. We logged onto the WorldMeter […]
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Who do you choose to be?
Tomorrow is November 11, Remembrance Day; it’s a time to remember the soldiers that gave their lives to counter the forces that were jeopardizing the freedoms we take for granted today. As I ponder their sacrifice, I can’t help but see a certain, though obviously not so dramatic, parallel between the challenges they braved and […]
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Outer mess, inner stress?
“Tell me something you don’t like”, I asked my student. “I don’t like when things are messy.” “”Really”, I responded, “why? “ I don’t know.” “Okay, well, what does it make you feel?” “No idea.” “You just don’t like it. You prefer when things are in their place, organized, structured?” “Yes, let’s say I arrive […]
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When saying good-bye is hard to do
‘There must be around ten people who have left the company lately‘, complained one of my students this week, as he went on to admit that he found it hard. As I asked questions, his colleague joined the conversation and I could feel the turmoil, questioning and well, sadness at the state of affairs. […]
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Teachers, you lead your students, but do you lead yourself, too?
Brené Brown defines a leader as one who takes responsibility for finding the potential in people and processes and has the courage to develop that potential (Dare to Lead, Random House, NY, 2018, p. 4). That is what you, as a teacher, do every day. In and out of the classroom, during school hours and […]
CLAIRE MARIA FORD 